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MEMORIAL DAY presented a pleasant, quick read. The author's writing skills pulled me through the story, giving me just enough ground to stand on while I followed plot and character. It's a deceptively slight work, providing only the details needed to keep a solid footing without cluttering up the background or landscape with unnecessary bells and whistles. I'm quite impressed with this writer and intend to hunt for his other books in the horror genre. Set in a small Nevada desert town over a span of a few days the story involves us with a flawed hero who tries to be noir but doesn't quite make the grade. He is a hero, make no mistake about it -- a man who faces conflicts both internal and external with understandable trepidation but with undeniable courage and, finally, success. While Mick Callahan never quite became real to me in this book, I expect he will return in future mysteries and like many other series heroes will gain flesh, muscle and blood as time and type passes him by. The setting impressed me particularly -- the Nevada desert is not a place for the faint of heart or those who cannot appreciate small details. But it was clear from the reading that the author either knows it well or has listened carefully to someone who does. Callahan's professional knowledge, while displayed a bit text-bookishly, also added to my enjoyment. Being a clinical psychologist gave the character a necessary ability to distance himself from people and events that I found believable. The key to the mystery, which I will not reveal here, also struck true notes to me -- it is a growing problem all over the American West, something many small communities are facing as a daily reality. While I would not call MEMORIAL DAY a noir novel, as the publisher does, I do recommend this book.
Reviewed by Sharon Brondos, May 2004
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Contact: Yvonne Klein (ymk@reviewingtheevidence.com)
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